Looking After
by Shuurei
Summary: Echizen was confined in the hospital as he got sick mostly because of his newly acquired habit of skipping lunch meals making Tezuka worried. One-shot and its TezuRyo.


**Disclaimer:** Tennis no Oujisama belongs to Takeshi Konomi. I just borrowed them without permission. 

**Author's Notes:** A big thank you to my POT beta-reader **May Neuma-san** and her friend ** Lily **. I think May is getting more insane the more she reads my insane fics. hehehehe 

**Warning:** er... warning shounen-ai. possible OOC. 

**Looking After**

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Slivers of the rays of a setting sun painted the pristine white wall into reddish gold, while the room's antiseptic scent swirled around Tezuka, teasing his nose as he sat on a chair beside a hospital bed where his boyfriend was sleeping peacefully. 

Tezuka had been at school, getting ready for their Saturday practice when he heard from Nanako that Echizen was confined in the hospital. Upon hearing this Tezuka decided to skip tennis practice, and then he informed his captain. And although it wasn't necessary, he decided to spend the rest of his day in the hospital looking after his boyfriend. 

When Tezuka arrived at the hospital he was told by Nanako that the boy had gained consciousness two hours ago and was now sleeping. From what Nanako-san had told him, Ryoma had collapsed early morning due to a high fever that had caught the boy sometime near dawn. The boy's family had brought him to the hospital and Ryoma was diagnosed having flu and was overly fatigued. Tezuka blamed the flu on the unpredictable shifting of the weather temperature that had befallen Japan; while he blamed the over fatigue to Echizen's newly acquired habit of skipping lunch. According to Momoshiro, the sub-captain of Seigaku tennis club, Echizen had started skipping lunch meals since the day school started and just when the responsibilities of being a captain were twice as heavy as usual. 

His frown deepened further, a sign that he was totally displeased with Echizen's troublesomeness. Why was it that the moment he was out of Seigaku Junior High Echizen was already trying to kill himself? 

His line of thought was broken when he felt cold fingers straightening the creasing of his forehead. Immediately, he took Echizen's cold hands into his own, while gazing deeply into those sleepy golden eyes. 

"Unlike the icy glares, frowns don't become you Tezuka," a feverish Echizen commented lightly. 

"You not only eat unhealthy foods but now you also skip meals! Why is it that the moment I leave school, you become too careless?" Tezuka asked in an annoyed voice. 

"Let me guess, Momo-sempai told you that. I should make my sub-captain run laps for betraying me," he said cockily, trying to change the topic, but his boyfriend would have none of it. 

"You shouldn't take your health so lightly, Ryoma," he leaned his forehead against the boy's, "Please don't make me worry about you unreasonably." 

The statement was not an order or a favor but a plea which was totally unheard of from the stoic former captain of Seigaku. Echizen knew that and he felt guilty. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered, loosely wrapping his arms around the older boy's neck. 

Tezuka sighed inwardly, disappointed. He was not expecting an apology as much as he was expecting a promise from Echizen that he wouldn't do it again. He immediately disentangled himself the moment he heard the door being opened and both boys looked toward it expectantly. 

A female nurse pushing a tray cart stepped in. 

"Hello Ryoma-kun. Your -"she cut herself off, stopping dead in her tracks when her eyes fell on Tezuka who by now was bathed in the soft golden rays of the setting sun, giving him an ethereal look. She was totally unaware that she was gawking and drooling over the bespectacled boy as she was star-struck. Echizen frowned. 

Echizen intentionally cleared his throat, breaking the girl's trance. Acting as if she hadn't been gawking earlier she moved towards the bed and handed Echizen a glass of water and his medicine tablet. 

The boy stared at the medicine in his hand for few seconds before he stated, "You gave me the wrong medicine." 

"E-?" the nurse checked and then nervously chuckled as she realized her mistake. She handed the boy the correct medicine then left, but not before taking a surreptitious glance at Tezuka. 

Tezuka raised his brow when he noticed his boyfriend putting away the medicine and glass of water on the bedside table. 

"Aren't you supposed to drink that now?" 

"Che. It tastes so awful that it will be the death of me." 

"That's why it's called medicine," his boyfriend retorted and reached for the tablet and the glass of water. 

Echizen let out a sound of surprise when Tezuka popped the medicine into his mouth and took a mouthful of water from the glass. Before the boy could react further, Tezuka pressed his mouth against his, mouth-feeding him with the medicine. Still wide-eyed he had no choice but to drink the medicine. 

After that, the mouth-feeding turned into a lazy exploratory kiss that was soft and controlled but passionate. After long moments Tezuka broke away from Echizen and wiped the trail of water that had trickled from the side of the boy's lips during the mouth-feeding. 

"Did it taste awful?" he inquired half-seriously. 

Echizen opened his eyes and looked at Tezuka dazedly before his face broke into a languorous smile. 

"You shouldn't take flu so lightly Tezuka, it's contagious." 

In reply, his boyfriend just gave him a winsome smile. 

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The next school day immediately following Echizen's release from the hospital, Echizen skipped lunch and was spending his lunch time in a shaded part of the building's rooftop. 

He could see the brightness of the day behind his closed eyelids and such soft brightness slowly lulled him to sleep. But his smooth journey to Morpheus' realm was disturbed as something blocked the brightness. Taking the blocking thing as a cloud, he opened his eyes ready to give to the offending object a glare. But instead of seeing the supposed cloud he saw Tezuka in his new school uniform hovering over him. 

"Tezuka!" 

Wordlessly his boyfriend sat beside him and took something which was expertly wrapped in a cloth from the paper bag he was carrying, he unwrapped it, revealing two boxes of bento. He gave one of the boxes to Echizen. 

"I cooked and made that for you," Tezuka informed him, "So there's no reason for you to dislike it." 

Deeply touched by Tezuka's thoughtfulness, Echizen tugged on the visor of his cap trying to hide the blush creeping onto his cheeks. 

"I gratefully partake," both of them uttered in unison before digging in. 

Echizen let out a sound of satisfaction the moment he tasted the first bite of his lunch, "I could get used to this," he said. 

"You should because from now on I'll be cooking all your lunch meals," Tezuka announced. 

Upon hearing this, the Seigaku sophomore crinkled his nose, feigning annoyance. Taking the look seriously, his bespectacled boyfriend gave him an icy glare making the boy burst out into a chuckle before he leaned down to give a quick peck on his boyfriend's lips. 

"Arigatou, Tezuka." 

:end: 

che was it bad? reviews are very much welcome 


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